The Dorothy Kaplan Book Group

The group meets on the 3rd Thursday of the month at 1pm in the Conference Room at the Jewish Federation of Omaha. Contact our Library Specialist by email or phone (402) 334-6464.

Dorothy KaplanNovember 15, 1979 marked the debut of the Jewish Federation Library Book Discussion Group, later renamed the “Dorothy Kaplan Book Discussion Group.” In association with the Jewish Federation of Omaha Library, a group of dedicated women, including the late “library diva” Dorothy Kaplan z”l, began the club. It is believed that throughout the country this is the oldest Jewish book group in continuous existence. The group selects books with Jewish content and/or books written by Jewish authors which are designed to appeal to readers of different ages and tastes. With the diversity of topics – everything from poetry and mysteries to science fiction and biographies – and with occasional guest facilitators, including authors, today’s “Dorothy Kaplan Book Group” offers something for everyone. The group welcomes new members.

The Dorothy Kaplan Book Group meets on the third Thursday of the month at 1pm in the Wiesman Family Reception Room at the Jewish Federation of Omaha. There is no cost to join and there is always an insightful exchange of observations, opinions and critiques during the group meetings.

Contact our Library Specialist by email or phone (402) 334-6464.

CURRENT BOOK SELECTION

JUNE 2026

The Art Forger | by B.A. Shapiro

Almost twenty-five years after the infamous art heist at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum—still the largest unsolved art theft in history—one of the stolen Degas paintings is delivered to the Boston studio of a young artist. Claire Roth has entered into a Faustian bargain with a powerful gallery owner by agreeing to forge the Degas in exchange for a one-woman show in his renowned gallery. But as she begins her work, she starts to suspect that this long-missing masterpiece—the very one that had been hanging at the Gardner for one hundred years—may itself be a forgery. The Art Forger is a thrilling novel about seeing—and not seeing—the secrets that lie beneath the canvas.

Upcoming 2026 Selections:

On Division By Goldie Goldbloom

On Division Avenue, just a block up from the East River in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, Surie Eckstein is soon to be a great-grandmother. Her ten children range in age from thirteen to thirty-nine. Her in-laws, postwar immigrants from Romania, live on the first floor of their house. Her daughter Tzila Ruchel lives on the second. She and her husband Yidel have a happy marriage and a full life. But into this life of counted blessings comes a surprise. At fifty-seven years old, Surie is pregnant.
It is a shock. An aberration. A public display of private life. Surie feels exposed, ashamed. She is unable to share the news, even with her husband. And so, for the first time in her life, she has a secret—one that slowly separates her from the community.
Goldie Goldbloom’s On Division is an excavation of one woman’s life, a story of awakening at middle age, and a thoughtful examination of the dynamics of self and collective identity. It is a rare portrait of a long, happy marriage, and a steady-eyed look inside insular communities that also celebrates their comforts

Past Selections

2025 Selections

Jan  |  Mr. Perfect on Paper by Jean Meltzer

Feb  |  The Auschwitz Detective by Jonathan Dunsky

Mar  |  The Stranger in the Lifeboat by Mitch Albom

May  | Not Quite Kosher by Stuart Kaminsky

June | The Dinner Party by Brenda Janowitz

July | The Outside World by Tova Mirvis

August | An Unorthodox Match by Naomi Ragen

September | Fifth Avenue Glamor Girl by Renee Rosen

October | Half Life by Jillian Canto

2024 Selections

Feb  |  As Close to Us as Breathing by Elizabeth Poliner

Mar |  We were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter

May |  You and Me and Us by Alison Hammer

Jun |  The Yid: A Novel by Paul Goldberg

Jul |  Goodnight Nobody by Jennifer Weiner

Aug |  The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris

Sep |  Queen for a Day by Maxine Rosaler

Nov |  Ethel Rosenberg: An American Tragedy by Anne Sebba

Dec |  A Jewish Girl in Paris by Melanie Levensohn